1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording and/or playback apparatus for a recording medium, and more particularly, to a door opening and closing mechanism provided at the front of an apparatus body.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, Japanese Patent No. 3718933 discloses a recording/playback apparatus for performing recording and/or playback of a disc-shaped recording medium such as a CD, a DVD, or a BD. The recording/playback apparatus is provided with a substantially rectangular door that is pivotally supported on a front surface of an apparatus body. By turning the door downward, the front surface of the apparatus body is exposed outside. The front surface of the apparatus body is provided with various control buttons, and an insertion opening for a disc tray that conveys the disc-shaped recording medium into and out of the apparatus body.
During loading and unloading of the disc-shaped recording medium, the disc tray is slid toward the front side of the apparatus body and pushes the door from behind, whereby the door is turned to an open position to expose the front surface of the apparatus body. When the door is turned to the open position, the control buttons are exposed outside and are allowed to be operated. For recording and/or playback of the disc-shaped recording medium, the disc tray is drawn into the apparatus body, and the door is then manually or automatically turned from the open position to a close position to close the front surface of the apparatus body.
To automatically turn the door between the open and close positions to open and close the front surface of the apparatus body, a turning mechanism and a power source for the door are to be provided in the apparatus body. This increases the size of the apparatus body, and also increases the number of components and production cost. In contrast, when the user manually closes the door, usability for the user is reduced. Hence, there is a demand for a recording/playback apparatus provided with a mechanism that turns a door to a close position with a simple structure.